London Leads the Soul
by sleepyqueen14
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are both twenty one year-olds who live in London. Their paths cross one day at a coffee shop, and then slowly begin to cross more frequently as they both end up with the leading roles in a play that they're in. And, if they're being perfectly honest, they don't mind all that much.
1. Chapter 1

Annabeth whipped her hair up into a messy bun as quickly as she could, before putting on her red high-top converse and grabbing her worn out backpack. She was currently trying to get ready as fast as she could, because she wanted to get a coffee before she met with her business associate to go over structure and planning for her new building project.

Annabeth Chase was an up and coming architect - as well as a freelance artist - who lived in London. She was twenty one, and living with her roommate Hazel, on a street called Lancaster. And on this particular morning, she was running very late.

"Annie, I know your running incredibly late - your fault, by the way - but do try to stop by that coffee shop I suggested, would you? I think you'll rather like it." Called Hazel from the kitchen. Annabeth was currently in her wreck of a room, trying to shove the last of her sketchbooks and files into her backpack before she left. Once she made sure she had everything, she grabbed her favorite light brown knitted cardigan and quickly put it on before walking out into the kitchen to respond to Hazel.

"You're in luck, because your coffee shop is actually closer to my meeting place with Chiron today, so I may just have enough time to find out what it is about that place that has you so in love with it," said Annabeth, grabbing her keys from the counter. Hazel was leaning against the stove area, sipping a hot chocolate, and still in her purple pj's. Hazel looked up at Annabeth's reply, and for reason's unknown to Annabeth, blushed. Annabeth figured she'd find out why later, so she left it alone for the time being, and headed towards the door.

"Right then, I'm off. Don't spend the whole day in pj's, you know. It's unjust when you tease me about it most days, and then go do it yourself." Annabeth called over her shoulder with a grin, before walking out the door, but not before she heard Hazel shout back, "Oh, alright, bug off!"

Annabeth closed the door with a chuckle, muttering "Filthy hypocrite," under her breath. She had at least managed to get jeans and a flannel shirt on today. She then hurried down the driveway of their small little house that they rented, and then hopped into her small little Honda.

Annabeth wasn't one to be late to things, but this particular morning she craved coffee more than usual, which was saying a lot, because she basically lived off the stuff. So she decided that coffee was currently more pressing than being on time to her meeting with Chiron, her business associate and mentor. She started to drive, heading towards the coffee shop that Hazel was so insistent upon her going to. Luckily, the drive there was only about seven minutes, so Annabeth didn't predict that she would be to terribly late to her meeting.

She found the place, and immediately fell in love with it. More accurately, the structure of it. The place was on a busy little street, and it looked like it was just accidentally shoved onto the street because there was no where else for it to go. It was between two other shops, one a bookstore and the other a small little market place. But both shops looked trivial in comparison to the coffee shop between them. It was a bold building with angles that looked completely impractical, but made a statement. It was mostly brick as the integrity of it, but the windows in the front where at least ten feet high, on either side of the door that was smack in the middle. inside the windows where hanging potted plants that were mostly red, and surprisingly, black. there were also little jewels that hung down beside the hanging plants, and they caught the sunlight from the early morning and began to look like little twinkling stars suspended in a window. Above the high windows was outward jutting awning that was a deep maroon color, with the logo "Night's coffee." The awning didn't come out enough though to prevent the sun from hitting the jewels inside, and Annabeth found herself admiring the thought process that must have gone into the construction of this little shop. Everything about the place screamed "intrigue" in Annabeth's mind, and she felt drawn to go inside immediately.

So she did. She parked her little car in a empty spot a few yards from the entrance to the shop, and got out to go and see what else was so special about this place.

As soon as she entered the door, and heard the small chime of the bell as it hit the door, she was even more in love. Momentarily forgetting she was supposed to be hurrying, she turned in a slow circle in awe.

The walls were brick and decorated with hanging lights, making it look like a starry sky against a brick backdrop in a way. The floor was a dark brown panelling that gave the place even more of a feel of being in the sky. The ceiling was a mute beige, off setting the darkness of the rest of the interior, including the leather chairs and couch that lined one wall. Upon the dark leather were maroon pillows with traditional script running across them, which Annabeth assumed were probably old poems. From the door to the counter was a parted path between wooden tables and their matching chairs, the color of the flooring. Upon each table, there was a black jar with star shapes decorating it, and with a candle inside it, acting as a centerpiece instead of flowers.

Annabeth had completely forgotten about her need to hurry, and her want of coffee at the moment. Instead she looked around more, and fell in love more and more every second. It was because of this that she didn't notice someone come up behind her and suddenly tap her shoulder as she admired the lights adorning the walls.

Annabeth jumped from shock and spun around only to be greeted with a pair of sea-green eyes staring at her, barely a few inches apart. She then processed that there were two strong hands holding her forearms, keeping her from toppling over.

"Wow there. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to startle you," Said the young man, before slowly letting go of the shell shocked girl who was standing in front of him. He backed up a few feet to make her feel a bit more comfortable, considering he had just been holding her upright.

Annabeth stared at him for two seconds longer before she snapped out of her messed up state, and shook her head to clear her mind a bit and come back to sanity.

Annabeth managed to recompose herself from her sudden - and slightly embarrassing - display of shock, and took in the young man in front of her.

He was a few inches taller than her, and looked to be about her age if not a little bit older. He had a raven colored mop of hair atop his head, that looked like he had just rolled out of bed given it's chaotic state. He was fit looking, even though he was wearing a black button down shirt tucked into his worn out jeans, underneath a maroon apron with the logo of the coffee shop on it. But what caught her attention the most was what she had been greeted with just second ago: his strikingly bright sea-green eyes that seemed to see right through her.

She realized that she was staring at him and still hadn't said a word.

"I-I...I'm so sorry, I was just admiring the lights on the wall, and you just s-startled me." She managed to get out, inwardly shocked at her stutter, before deciding it was because of her sudden shocked state. She managed to give him a embarrassed smile, that she hoped made things slightly less awkward.

He looked at her for a split second with a concerned expression, before he broke into an impish grin and chuckled at her obvious embarrassment.

"And for that I'm very sorry. I was just overcome with the urge to know why a pretty blonde I've never seen in here before was staring at our decorum, well before the rush crowd comes in." He said, as he reached his hand up to scratch his neck with a sheepish expression on his face.

Annabeth was positive that her face was now the color of the maroon that this shop was so fond of. She had just been shocked out of her wits, and then was flirted with on top of it.

The guy had the decency to look slightly apologetic for making her feel even more awkward before he walked over to the counter and stood behind, saying, "Well, assuming your here for coffee, as this is a coffee shop, what can I get you, Blondie?"

'Blondie' was enough to snap Annabeth out of her second round of shock, before she crossed her arms over her chest and walked over to the counter, remembering that she was, in fact, here for coffee.

"For starters, I won't respond to 'Blondie', thank you very much. And I would like a black coffee." Annabeth said, and she was proud of herself for not stuttering, even though this guy did make her feel...odd. She didn't really know how she felt at the moment, only that it was a foreign feeling.

The guy smirked, seeming to have found something she said enjoyable, though she had no idea why.

"Alright, 'Blondie', I'll call you something else if you give me your name." He said, still making that ridiculous face that made her stomach feel weird.

Annabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes, even though his behavior wasn't all that annoying. Still, she decided to play right back.

"And why, may I ask, do you need my name? It's not like it's relevant to you." She said, giving him her own smirk.

"Well, you see, when we take orders here, it takes a bit to prepare, so we take the orderee's name and put it on their cup so that we can call them when it's ready. I'm only following protocol, Blondie." He said, in mock seriousness, before punctuating his answer with 'Blondie', which he knew would only encourage her to give him her name sooner, so that he would stop calling her that.

"Hmm, well, considering that I'm the only one here, there's no need for my name, now is there? And, seeing as how you've made no move to get me my coffee yet, and I'm really in a hurry, I just may send a complaint to your manager about your terrible service. So hop to it." Annabeth replied, just as cockily, even though it was obvious she was joking around as well.

The guy pretended to be seriously considering her words, before he suddenly let up as if he had is answer ready.

"Well, for starters, it does not appear that I am going to be getting your name any time soon, so I suppose I'll have to stick with Blondie. So sad." He paused and grinned before continuing, "Second, if your in a hurry, I wonder whats kept you here so long, anyway? I mean, the service is apparently terrible, so why not just go find coffee else where? Could it be, that a certain handsome barista has captured your attention? I mean, I see no other reason for you to still be here, so...?" He finished cockily, before propping his head up on his hand as he stared at her in triumph.

Annabeth knew that she was red in the face, but she was not going to back down.

"I choose to not answer that inquiry, and I may take your suggestion into mind and just leave now." She said, while making an act of appearing to be getting ready to leave, before she added with sass, "But, make no mistake, I'm still making a complaint about the service here to your manager." She finished her reply with her own sense of triumph, and was curious as to how he was gong to respond.

"Hmm, well seeing as how I'm the manager, you could go ahead and give your complaint to me." He said with his ever-present smirk.

Annabeth hadn't expected that, but she was ready, and decided to take a chance.

"Alright. I would like to complain that a very cute employee - and, apparently, the manager - not only jump scared me, but shamelessly flirted with me, wasted my time, and - worst of all - did not give me my much needed coffee in a timely fashion." Annabeth said while crossing her arms again, trying to look mad and flirty.

Successfully.

The guy in front of her seemed surprised by her declaration, and flushed under her stare, before he seemed to regain his wits, and quickly put his smirk back on.

"My, my. Just can't resist, can you? Well, I'll fetch you your coffee now, Blondie, though I really can't fix any of your other complaints," He said, still grinning. "Nor do I really want to."

With that, he disappeared behind a door to prepare her coffee, and Annabeth was given a few blessed moments to recompose herself once again before he came back out, holding her coffee.

"Here you go, Blondie." He said handing to her, managing to brush her fingers with his. "Now, I'll let you get to whatever it is I've been keeping you from. Lord forbid it be a date! Hope your boyfriend doesn't come back here to kill me for wasting your time."

The guy, while he was joking, looked genuinely curious as to how Annabeth would answer.

"Thank you for the coffee, and I'll be sure to not mention what kept me so long," Annabeth said with a wink, neither confirming that she was meeting a boyfriend or not, which she was quite proud of.

With that, Annabeth paid for her coffee, and turned to leave.

"See you later, Blondie?" He called from the counter, sounding hopeful and cocky.

Annabeth, who was facing the door and holding it open as she was about to walk out, smirked to herself before replying:

"Annabeth. And maybe you will."

And with that, she walked out, leaving a sea-green eyed boy grinning to himself as he muttered "Annabeth."


	2. Chapter 2

Percy had gone to bed that night wondering when he would see a particular blonde that he had run into earlier that day again. Annabeth was the highlight of his day, as he hoped she would be again in future.

Percy had gotten home that night to his apartment on Downing Street, and made the trip up the building, after he had parked his bright blue jeep that was making some weird noises. The thing needed a trip to the auto shop, but Percy didn't have the time, and as long as it still run, he could put up with some noises.

When he got inside, he chucked his backpack unto the coach and tossed his keys to the hook where they landed perfectly, which Frank was always jealous of because he couldn't do it himself.

Frank came out of his bedroom when he heard Percy close the door, and the sound of Percy falling onto the coach where he would lay for about an hour watching anime, like he did everyday.

"Perce, theres some leftover pancakes from this morning in the fridge if you want them." Said Frank, walking over to the living room, where he sat down in the armchair across from the couch that Percy was currently sprawled upon, quite dramatically.

"Frank, I've found her! The perfect woman!" Percy declared with a lovesick smile across his face as he gestured grandly to the ceiling.

Frank was actually surprised by this sudden statement. Percy was not one to date or talk of girls, ever. And he was very critical.

"Ok?" Frank asked.

Percy sighed deeply, before he recounted what happened earlier that day, and how sassy she had been and how he had only got her name right as she left, and so on. Percy told Frank everything very animatedly and never stopped grinning, even though he hadn't even gotten the girls number. Not that Frank could blame him, he wouldn't have even had the guts to flirt anywhere near as much as Percy did in his encounter with Annabeth.

Frank, however, could understand Percy's instant attraction to her, because Frank knew her. Annabeth was the roommate of one Hazel Levesque, whom Frank was quite smitten with. He had met Annabeth one time when he had hung out with Hazel and a group of her friends, and he had found Annabeth to be a sassy yet levelheaded person, exactly as Percy had described her.

"Wow, the one day something interesting happens at the shop, and I'm out checking on my sick mother. Jeez." said Frank, genuinely bummed that he had missed the interaction between the two.

Frank had in fact been gone from the shop that day because his mom had caught a cold, and Percy had let him have the day off to go and check on her. After Frank had made sure that she was going to be alright, he had actually spent the remainder talking to Hazel at a cafe that Hazel had suggested. During their time together, Hazel had told Frank of this play that she was going to audition for. Apparently it was a greek reenactment of the story of Aphrodite and her struggle with being married to Hephaestus, but being in love with Ares. Hazel was incredibly enthusiastic about it, and had convinced Frank to at least try to be the technical guy for the play so that they could spend more time together. Frank had jumped at the prospect.

Percy chuckled at Frank's statement before returning to his lovesick state, as Frank's phone chimed. Frank pulled it out of his pocket and saw that he had a text from Hazel that read "I've convinced Annie to audition for the play! This is going to be so much fun."

Frank suddenly had an idea. His first idea that ever had anything to do with playing matchmaker. But he had his mind set the second the idea had formed.

"Percy, you know Hazel, right?" Asked Frank, though he knew he was going to get a sarcastic reply.

"The girl you're practically in love with, the girl you talk about 24/7, the Hazel who is a short caramel angel? That Hazel? Yeah, I think I know her." Snickered Percy, still staring at the ceiling as if it was Annabeth.

Frank blushed, but he was used to Percy being like this. Percy loved to tease him.

"Yes, that Hazel." Frank said with a joking pout. "She convinced me to be the technical guy for a play she auditioning for. It's a Greek story, a love one. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to audition too? You usually like doing stuff for fun."

Percy thought about it for a bit, but he really had no issue with it. It actually sounded fun.

"Yeah, sure. Plus, I can tease you and Hazel relentlessly." Said Percy with a grin, finally looking away from the ceiling so he could see Franks blushing face.

He wasn't disappointed.

Frank was a tomato, but he didn't care. His plan would work. Percy and Annabeth would be together in no time.

"A-alright, great!" Stuttered Frank, trying to recompose himself. "Auditions are tomorrow, actually. The roles you can try out for are in a pamphlet that Hazel gave me. I'll go get it."

Frank went to his room to get the pamphlet, and Percy stayed on the couch and resumed staring at the ceiling.

'Annabeth.' Percy kept saying her name is head, over and over. He pictured her smirk, her stormy grey eyes as they looked at him, her blonde mess of curls, everything about her. He wanted to know more about her.

He found himself hoping that she wanted to know more about him too. And that she would come back to the shop, be it for coffee or, dare he hope it, his company.

"Here it is." Said Frank as he handed a pamphlet that read 'A Torn Heart' to Percy. Percy hadn't even noticed that Frank had walked back into the room, he was so lost in his thoughts.

"Oh, right. Thanks, man," Said Percy, snapping out of his dazed state, and opening up the pamphlet to read about the play and determine who he would audition for.

"Yeah, no problem. Ok, I'm gonna go work on my other source of income now. Thanks for the day off though." Said Frank, before he walked into his room to start working on his book.

Frank was a writer, and he was currently working on a novel about people and animals living as a group and being able to speak to each other. Frank loved co-owning the coffee shop with Percy, he had a real passion for it, but he loved his writing too.

Percy didn't reply, already buried in the pamphlet, even though he didn't have his reading glasses on and his eyes were strained a bit.

Percy discovered that it was in fact a love story, but it was about loving two people. Percy found the story very intriguing and decided that he wanted to play Ares, Aphrodite's true love. He was curious who would play Aphrodite if he played Ares, but he wasn't even sure he'd get the part so Percy didn't concern himself with that too much.

When Percy finished memorizing the lines that he would recite tomorrow, he was actually feeling good about the play. He felt connected to the character of Ares, even though Percy didn't understand why. But he was looking forward to tomorrow.

Percy set the pamphlet down, satisfied that he was ready for tomorrow, and flipped the tv one, going straight to Hulu so he could watch some Naruto. He was currently rewatching the episode where Naruto was going through the training with his shadow clones, and it was getting to the good part.

Settling into the couch, Percy's mind drifted to Annabeth as he watched another blonde on the tv.

He really hoped that she would come back to the coffee shop the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the day for Annabeth was...interesting.

She had, of course, been late to meet Chiron, which he wasn't very happy about. On top of that, he had told her that she would be designing shop buildings as a practice for a new job she would be receiving later, which Annabeth was not all to thrilled about. She preferred things like traditional buildings, and, oddly enough, greek-styled buildings. But she clearly would not be getting her way on this.

After that, Annabeth had headed to her friend Piper's house, where the two of them began to work out the details for their new comic strip they were starting. It was going to be an anime-styled story about two twin guys who switch into each others bodies whenever they felt like it, and their adventures with that ability. Annabeth was really enthusiastic about it, and she and Piper started working out the character sketches and personality maps.

She and Piper had been friends since high school, where they had bonded over their love of drawing and anime. And they'd since then become partners who ran an online comic strip site where they made a crap ton of money.

Piper was the same age as Annabeth, and had moved to London during middle school from the states. She was taller than Annabeth, though almost everyone was, and she had dark tan skin and stringy yet gorgeous brown hair that fell around her face in pieces with feathers braided in. Her eyes were the most fascinating thing about her though, as they seemed to change colors every time you looked at them.

Today she and Annabeth were working on their comic strip, and about three hours into their work time they had decided that they needed a snack.

Annabeth hated Piper's house because all she kept around to eat was healthy foods and a bunch of veggies, because she was a vegetarian. Plus, Piper didn't have a roommate and didn't have to deal with anyone else's food preferences. Her dad was a rich actor in the USA, and had basically given her her own place to do whatever the heck she felt like with it.

After they ate - having had salads, much to Annabeth's displeasure - they resumed working for another four hours, getting the first five strips of the comic done. Having done a good days work, Annabeth headed home, planning to come back in a few days, as she now had another work project to get going on.

Annabeth parked the car in her driveway and headed inside the house, slipping off her shoes at the door and dropping her backpack on top them. She made her way to the kitchen were she made some hot chocolate, because they were out of Keurig cups, hence why she had to go out to get coffee this morning.

Coffee this morning.

Annabeth began to recall her encounter with see-green eyed male this morning, and found herself grinning. She found that while he had acted a bit annoying, she was drawn to him and wanted to get to know him better.

"Annie! How was your day?" Yelled Hazel, as she dragged her basket of laundry from the washer in the back room, heading towards the couch to sort her clothes.

"Well, it was half and half, to be perfectly honest. Parts of it were good, parts of it were not that swell. Now how about you?I see your not wearing pj's which means you must have left the house for something, and you were out of work today. Spill." Said Annabeth, crossing her arms before using on hand to sip her hot chocolate as she looked at Hazel expectantly.

Hazel smiled, folding her clothes and sorting them before she said, "Don't miss anything, do you, Chase? Yes, I went out. I actually met up with Frank, and I've convinced him to be the technical guy for the play I'm auditioning for. Oh! Speaking of the play, I meant to ask you this morning but I forgot, would you consider trying out for it? I'm gonna try and get a bunch of friends to audition for it. I think it'll be really fun." Hazel said, looking at Annabeth with her puppy dog eyes.

Hazel was a bit shorter than Annabeth, and adorable. She had dark skin and curly caramel colored hair that went everywhere but was beautiful on her. Her eyes were also a bright gold color, and when she did the puppy dog eyes, she could get just about anything that she wanted.

Annabeth looked at Hazel and wanted to say yes right away. But she remembered that she also had two work projects going at the same time, and that she would be incredibly busy for at least a month.

But she wanted to. She wanted to have some fun, and it sounded like Hazel really wanted her to as well.

Deciding that she would just have to work really hard the rest of the time to stay on top of work, she smiled at Hazel and said, "Alright. When are auditions?"

Hazel squealed in delight and looked like she had just won the lottery, which sent all the nervous feelings out of Annabeth's mind, content to see her friend so happy.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you Annie! You're gonna love it! Ok, auditions are tomorrow." Said Hazel, hopping up and down like a bunny.

Annabeth chuckled, glad her friend was so happy.

"Alright, do you have the lines that I need to learn, and a list of characters so I can pick who I want to audition for?"

"Yup!" Hazel reached into her pocket and withdrew a pamphlet that she then handed to Annabeth.

Annabeth saw that the title was 'A Torn Heart' and was already intrigued. But, having things that she wanted to talk about with Hazel she decide that she would look it over in a bit.

"Great. I'll look at it in bit. So, missy, I've got a question for you: what is it about that coffee shop that has you so captivated by it?" Annabeth asked. She really wondered if Hazel had tried to set her up with the guy she'd met, but she hoped not. She wanted to believe that the guy was interested in her of his own accord.

"Well...I like the place because, w-well...Frank is the second manager there. But! But I figured you would like it because of the structure and design of it. It seemed like your kind of style." Hazel said, while blushing and looking at her laundry as she folded it.

Annabeth smiled, knowing with certainty that Hazel didn't set her up. She just had a profound crush on Frank Zhang, a tall asian-looking guy with a big body and a soft heart. He and Hazel were perfect for each other, and no one could deny it. And Hazel was right, Annabeth loved the structure and design. Thats how she had met the guy with the sea-green eyes.

Annabeth considered telling Hazel about the guy, but decided against it. She didn't want Hazel to get excited and do something...well, not smart. Annabeth wanted to do this her way.

But she wanted to know the guys name. And she wanted to know if Hazel knew.

"Second manager? Who's the first?" Annabeth asked, looking curious.

"Oh, he's actually Frank's roommate, too, his name is Percy Jackson. They actually started the coffee shop together." Hazel said, still folding her laundry.

Percy Jackson.

Annabeth felt better knowing the name of the guy who had stuck in her thoughts all day long. She didn't feel so weird now.

"So. Did you like the place? Assuming you went, that is." Said Hazel, looking at Annabeth with curious gaze and still looking adorable.

"Yeah, actually, I did. I stared at the place so long before ordering a coffee that I actually was even later to meeting Chiron." Annabeth said with a laugh. It was at least partly true.

"Oh, Annie," Hazel said while giggling. "At least you liked the place. They really did a good job."

"That they did. I loved it."

"I'll tell Frank," said Hazel.

Annabeth finished her hot chocolate, and told Hazel that she was going to go and pick who she wanted to audition for and learn the lines she needed. She went into her room and closed the door, before plopping on her bed and opening the pamphlet.

She was intrigued by the story, and found herself drawn to the character of Aphrodite. She related to Aphrodite in the way that she didn't know how to always deal with her problems.

In the end, Annabeth decided on auditioning for the goddess of love, but not before wondering who would play her true love, Ares.


	4. Chapter 4

Percy woke up suddenly, his alarm on his phone going off on his nightstand. He grabbed his phone and silenced the annoying ringing before rolling out of bed and putting his narwal slippers on.

Yes. Percy wore narwal slippers.

He grabbed his blue T-shirt from his dresser before putting it on and walking out of his bedroom into the kitchen, dressed in sweat-pants with his slippers and shirt.

Frank had his back turned towards Percy as he cooked eggs over the stove, already dressed for work. He turned his head around to see Percy still in pj's and with hair looking wilder than usual.

"Percy, we go through this every morning. Screw the fact that you're not a morning person, you still need to get up and get dressed on time every day. You own a coffee shop, dude, it comes with the territory." Said Frank, finishing his eggs before turning off the stove and transferring the eggs onto a plate.

"Coffee first, then clothes. Then the driving and the working. It's a good system, and you don't mess with good systems." Said Percy, cracking a sleepy grin. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bag of coffee grounds and a milk gallon. Once he had the coffee starting, he grabbed a bowl and some coco puffs and began shoveling cereal in his mouth as quickly as he could.

Frank watched the all-to-familiar scene before his eyes with a small grin. Percy was the definition of procrastination, and while Frank teased him about it, he was so used to it at this point that he found it rather endearing. Not that he would ever tell Percy that.

Percy finished his cereal, and poured some coffee into his favorite anime merchandise mug.

Percy was an undeniable anime nerd, and he owned that title. He'd had an obsession with most anime shows ever since he was a child, and it was something that he and his mother would do together after he got home from school: they'd sit down in the living room with some blue cookies that his mom was so good at making and watch anime together.

Those were some of Percy's best memories of his mom. And he missed her, even though he still went to go visit her in New York every few months.

Percy was originally from London, but during third grade, his mom and dad had decided that they wanted to move to New York. When Percy was in fifth grade, his dad had left him and his mom. Percy and his mom had bonded over the loss of Percy's dad, and they had a strong relationship. But Percy always knew that when he turned eighteen he would move back home. London would always be his home.

When Percy had moved back to London, he had met Frank at a coffee shop that Percy was visiting, hoping to get some ideas for starting his own. They became friends, and then they were roommates and had a coffee shop together. And Percy loved it.

"Percy. Clothes. Car. Work." Said Frank, noticing that Percy seemed to be drinking his coffee very slowly and had a thinking expression on.

Percy snapped out of his train of thought by shaking his head, before looking at Frank and saying, "Right, right. Sorry. Going now."

Percy downed the last of his coffee and then bolted into his room and slammed his door. He dug through his basket of clean laundry that he had neglected to fold earlier, and found a charcoal grey long sleeved shirt and a pair of dark-washed jeans. He quickly got dressed and then grabbed his favorite pair of black nikes. He devoted a whole minute to trying to brush his hair, and only managed to make it a bit better, but that was normal for him. He brushed his teeth quickly and then grabbed his phone that he had set down earlier, and rushed out the bedroom door and grabbed his work apron and keys from the kitchen counter.

"Alright, you ready, Frank?" Said Percy, looking proud that he had gotten ready so quickly.

"Yeah, yeah, slow-poke. I've been ready for awhile. Let's go. I'm driving." Said Frank.

Percy and Frank hopped in Percy's blue jeep like they did most days. Frank had a car - the other Jeep parked next to Percy's - but to save gas, they usually only drove one car to work.

Percy got in the passengers seat and Frank got in the drivers. Frank started the car before pulling out of the driveway.

"So...who did you pick to audition for?" Asked Frank, trying to look like he wasn't totally invested in making sure that Percy and Annabeth somehow ended up interacting through this play.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna try out for Ares. I think I could play him pretty well." Said Percy, leaning against his arms propped behind his head with a cocky smile on his face.

Frank thought that Percy was right, having read about the characters a bit himself the other day. He immediately pictured Annabeth playing Aphrodite after Percy said he would try out for Ares. How perfect that would be.

"Cocky, much? Still, good pick." Frank says, still keeping his eyes on the road.

Percy grins at Franks comment, before he closes his eyes and his mind fills with images of a particular sassy blonde that he met yesterday. He was really hoping that a certain blonde by the name of Annabeth would choose to come to the coffee shop today. He decided that he would definitely get her number before she left this time.

This time.

'Oh, pleaseeeeee, let that gorgeous blondie show back up today!' Thought Percy, still keeping his eyes closed.

Percy felt the car stop, and opened his eyes and saw his coffee shop on the other side of the street.

He felt he'd never get sick of that sight.

Frank and Percy got out of the car and walked towards their little slice of heaven on earth, and Percy pulled out his keys and unlocked the glass door that acted as their gateway to happiness.

They walked inside and Frank immediately flipped on the switch that sent the stringed lights twinkling and the overhead lights glowing. He then went to the back of the counter and began to turn the coffee machines on, getting them ready to run.

Percy stood and stared at his beautiful little safe haven that he and Frank had built for a little while before he set to work. He always felt at peace when he walked into the shop, and he hoped that that feeling would never leave.

Percy started to take the chairs off the top of the tables and set them down, and a few of the employees began to show up and start getting ready for the day. Everyone who worked there loved it just as much as Percy and Frank, and they all became like a small family.

Percy finished putting the last of the chairs down on the floor when Leo Valdez, a counter worker, walked in the door and grinned as the small bell chimed announcing his arrival.

"The barista king is in the house, yo!" Leo sung out as he popped his ball cap over his mess of brown curls that framed his impish face. He wore a white Adidas T-shirt that would not stay white very long, given Leo's track record for making messes. He had on washed out ripped jeans and dark grey combat boots, and his work apron over his clothes.

Percy grinned back at Leo, and tossed a rag at him, which Leo caught with ease.

"Yeah, alright, you call yourself that, but you do realize that you don't actually prepare the coffee? You have the honor of working the counter." Said Percy, enjoying joking around.

"Hmph. Well, I'll get there one day." Said Leo, winking and giving Percy a thumbs up.

"That, I believe. Now wipe those tables, loser." Percy said, laughing and watching Leo sling the rag across the tables while dancing to a song that only he could hear.

Percy grinned once more before turning and walking over to the door to give Jason a fist bump as he walked through the door.

"Sup, man," Said Jason, bumping fists with Percy and smiling before walking over to the back to start getting the pastries out on display in the glass counter section.

Percy returned the greeting with his own "Sup," and then flipped the sign on the door so that it read 'Open' to anyone on the street.

Percy looked out the window and spotted a head of blonde hair stepping out of a car, and his heartbeat picked up for a second, before he realized that it was just another woman with blonde hair.

Percy thought to himself, yet again, that he hoped Annabeth would show up that day.

Percy headed to the counter to get another cup of coffee seeing as how he didn't really get to enjoy his first one that morning. As he was going, Leo called to him:

"Hey, Perce, could I maybe get off early today? Like, two? I'm auditioning for this play that my girlfriend wants me to be in, and auditions are at two thirty."

Percy grinned to himself, thinking that he was really going to enjoy being in this play if he got the part he wanted, and if two of his friends ended up in it as well.

"Yeah, sure thing. In fact, I'm leaving at two as well, with Frank, because I am also auditioning for a play. Would your play happen to be titled 'A Torn Heart?'" Percy asked, looking at Leo with a dopey smile on his face.

"No way, bro! That's lit! Oh, man, this is gonna be so much more fun with some one else I know auditioning, too!" Leo said, pumping a fist into the air, smiling just like Percy.

Percy couldn't help but agree with Leo, and was still grinning when Jason walked out of the back and asked, "Did ya'll say something about a play?"

"Yup! Percy and I are both leaving early today to go and audition."

Jason had a small smile suddenly tug at his lips as he said, "Funny. Your girlfriend, Calypso, convinced Piper to audition for a play as well. And, in turn, Piper somehow convinced me. I assume we are all talking about the same play?"

Leo and Percy both nodded, figuring that there was no why that it was a different play.

"Alright, well, in that case, I need to leave at two to get there on time." Said Jason, suddenly looking forward to this play more than he had previously.

"Sure thing. Frank is gonna be the technical guy, so that means that all four of us are leaving before closing time. So I guess that we'll just close early, instead of having the rest of the employees keep the place open." Said Percy, not caring that he would be losing a few business hours. He was going to be having some serious fun today.

"Cool, man." Said Leo, excited about the coming fun.

"Alright, ya'll have all been chummy, and apparently we are all going to be in the same play, and that's great. But it's time to actually work now, because while ya'll have been chatting, I just took care of the first costumer of the day, which is Leo's job. You're welcome." said Frank, standing behind the counter at Leo's usual spot.

Leo quickly bolted behind the counter, ready to actually do his job, and quickly thanked Frank, who responded with, "I'm always the one acting like you guys parent, aren't I?"

But he was grinning anyway. And so was Leo, and Jason. Percy, however was not grinning anymore, having immediately looked over his shoulder at the first costumer when Frank mentioned them, hoping to see a curly blonde head.

He was disappointed. Just a random guy he'd seen a couple times in the shop before.

The day went by quickly for everyone except Percy, who never ended up seeing Annabeth, even though he kept his eyes open for her all day long, until they were suddenly closing down and heading out for the auditions.

Leo said that he had to go pick up Calypso before he headed to auditions, and Jason said that Piper was driving there from work, so he could head on over. Both of them left shortly after, and Frank and Percy locked the building and got in Percy's Jeep.

Percy was a little sulky that he hadn't seen Annabeth, but he quickly put that out of his mind as he pulled out his pamphlet and skimmed over his lines again, making sure he had them memorized. By the time they pulled up to the front of an eighteenth century looking theater, he had his lines fully ingrained in his head, and he felt pretty confident that he would get the part.

Frank parked in front of the very old fashioned theater house, and they both hopped out, seeing Jason's car parked a little ways away. Leo's car wasn't around yet.

Frank looked around, and spotted Hazel and Annabeth's shared Honda, and he knew that they were both here. But he decided against telling Percy that he knew who Annabeth was, or that she would be here, or that she was even auditioning for the play. He didn't want to give his plan away. He hadn't even told Hazel about it, and that was saying something, because he told her just about everything.

Frank had been trying to ask Hazel out for a couple months now, but chickened out every time. He didn't think that she would say no, seeing as how they were practically best friends, but he was still slightly insecure about it.

But he put those thoughts out of his mind. He was here to get Percy and Annabeth together. And he knew that Percy would be ecstatic at seeing Annabeth, as he had looked so sulky about having not seen her at the coffee shop at all today.

He and Percy headed into the building, and followed various signs with arrows down the long and intricate hallways that eventually lead to a large open entry room with a huge staircase in the middle that in turn lead to a pair of very large doors, that they assumed lead to the actual stage. They walked up the stairs and pushed the doors open, stepping into a mostly dark room, except for the very illuminated stage with huge crimson curtains adorning it.

Once their eyes had adjusted to the dark a bit, they were able to see an illuminated - by the stage lights - pathway down rows of seats that lead to the stage. They made their way down the path, and came to a group of people, who they assumed were the people who were going to be running the auditions, as they looked very...theatrical.

One of the various people, a man in a very rumpled fedora, addressed Frank and Percy and said, "Ah, I assume you are here for the auditions? Head straight back there around that doorway, and you'll join the line of other people who are here to audition."

Percy began to head in that direction, as Frank stayed behind and explained that he was here to see if he could be the technical guy, which he was guaranteed he could be with many a thankful look, as they seemed to be lacking one.

Percy made it around the doorway and was greeted with a large group of people who were reciting their lines and practicing with each other. Percy spotted Jason and his girlfriend, Piper, in a corner and he headed towards them before he heard his name being called and he spun around to be greeted by Leo and Calypso making their way in.

"Hey, dude! We just got here, we were running a bit late." Said Leo, looking at his girlfriend next to him and grinning at her as he intertwined his hand with hers.

Percy grinned at them, and gestured towards Jason and Piper, and they all made their way over to the two of them. They began to recite their lines with each other, making sure that they would be ready.

Piper was going to addition to play Athena, one of the other side God's to the story line of the play. Leo was going to addition for Hephesteus - Ares rival in love -, Jason as Zeus, and Calypso as Demeter.

Percy, having seen that none of his female friends where auditioning for Aphrodite, was quite curious as to who would end up playing her.

Percy waited his turn in line until he heard "Ares auditions! Come out in order!" yelled from the other side of the curtain.

Percy watched as several other guys who were auditioning for the same role went before him, and Percy began to feel slightly cocky. He wouldn't trip on his tongue any where near as much as some of these guys, or forget his lines.

Percy's turn came, and he walked up the small steps and out in front of the curtains, to the center of the stage. He gave an easy smile to the people who would be judging him and reciting the pairing lines with him, said his name, and began his lines. He put in tones and voice inflections when he felt they were particularly needed, gritted his teeth when he wanted his character to sound frustrated, made lots of hand gestures, and paced the floor when his character was thinking and speaking.

He was generally amazing, and the judges felt that he had, by far, the best performance so far.

When he finished, they told him to take a seat in the audience so that he could perform with Aphrodite when they found other people they wanted him to rehearse with, but they were very enthusiastic about his performance, and Percy was feeling pretty confident.

Percy sat in a seat close to a few other people who had been told to sit and wait, and among them was Leo, who grinned just as confidently as Percy felt.

Percy directed his eyes to the stage, waiting to watch the rest of auditions.

"All people who are auditioning for Aphrodite, please come out one at a time." Yelled the man with the crumpled fedora that Percy had spoken to earlier.

The first girl to come out was a short girl with mousy brown hair, and freckles everywhere. She smiled nervously at the judges and said that her name was Ella Brown before beginning to recite her lines, stuttering endlessly and looking that she was scared out of her mind.

Once she finished, a girl who looked about the same height as Ella, but who was wearing ridiculous heels, came out. She had dark tan skin like Piper, and clearly dyed red hair that looked very fake. She said her name, and began to recite her lines, acting like she was a regal queen who was to good for everyone. She didn't act the emotional struggle that Aphrodite would be going through, and she didn't have the level of sass and personality that Aphrodite needed to have. She finished her lines, and was told to sit in the crowd, which she did, looking very confident that she got the part.

Percy hoped that she wouldn't end up getting it.

A few more girls went, none more likely to get the part than the rest, and none of them were asked to sit in the crowd like the fake red-head, who looked very smug about that fact. As the last girl went, the man with the fedora called out to see if there were anymore girls, and he was about to call the next group up when Hazel, Frank's crush, came running onto the stage with none other than Annabeth, the girl Percy met at the coffee shop the other day.

"So sorry, we were caught up with helping Frank learn the ropes of the technical stuff. We got a little tied up, but my friend here, she would like to audition for Aphrodite, if you'll let her try." Said Hazel, bent over with her hands on her knees, out of breath from running.

Annabeth smiled easily at the judges, not looking nervous at all, but her fcae was red from running, and she looked adorable, in Percy's opinion.

The judges were grinning, seemingly pleased that they may have someone else to play Aphrodite over the girl who was currently sitting down in the seats.

"Of course! What would your name be, miss?"

Annabeth grinned, and replied "Annabeth Chase, sir."

Annabeth Chase.

Percy could feel himself smiling, praying that Annabeth would get the part. If she did, Percy didn't think that this play could get any better.

"Alright, Annabeth, go ahead. I'll recite the pairing lines to you as you go along."

Hazel smiled at Annabeth and gave her arm a friendly squeeze before walking off the stage to the side to watch.

Annabeth took a deep breath, and, without the pamphlet of lines in her hand, began to recite her lines. She had the emotional distress evident on her face and in her voice, and her sassy replies where entirely natural and flowing. She gestured angrily, and moved her body to give emotion.

It was like she was a real goddess, in Percy's opinion. She had that right amount of perfection but also human personality.

It was beautiful to watch, and by the time she had finished, Percy couldn't keep himself from clapping his hands as loud as he could.

Annabeth's eyes widened at the echoing sounds of someone clapping, and she turned to the crowd to find the source, and her eyes met bright sea-green ones.

Percy Jackson was standing up in front of seat with a big dopey grin on his face, and clapping for her.


	5. Chapter 5

Annabeth's day had been normal, really.

She'd gotten up, and immediately received an email from Chiron telling her that she was expected to send in her first sketch that day. Annabeth had groaned, realizing that she was most likely going to be working on that sketch for the majority of the day until auditions, meaning that she would not be able to go back to Night's Coffee shop, which she had really wanted to.

Since she had been thinking about Night's Coffee and a pair of sea-green eyes, she had decided to sketch her own version of a coffee shop as her sketch to send to Chiron that day.

Which had kept her busy until it was time to go to the auditions for the play at two thirty.

She and Hazel had left early to get there because Hazel was insistent that they not be late. Annabeth had reviewed her lines in her head during the car ride, and Hazel had given her tips as she drove.

The day had been mostly straightforward, until suddenly she found herself in the middle of the stage, having finished her lines, and a very familiar owner of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, clapping for her.

Percy Jackson.

Percy Jackson was currently standing in the crowd... and clapping.

For her.

Annabeth felt her face heat up and she knew that she was blushing, hard.

Annabeth couldn't help but stare at him, slack jawed, as he stared back, bringing his clapping to an end, before suddenly the people who had been judging her audition started clapping as well.

Annabeth recomposed herself, and managed to tear her gaze from Percy, before giving a polite and thankful smile to the people clapping and curtsied, feeling ridiculous.

She deliberately sat close to Percy when she was told to sit in the crowd - so that she could audition with Ares in a bit - and she fought very hard with herself to not blush.

Percy was two seats apart from her, and when she sat down, he immediately grinned at her, revealing his own blush.

Annabeth had so many questions: why was he here and auditioning?Who did he audition for? Would he want to maybe go out for a coffee at some point?

The last question made Annabeth feel dumb: he ran a coffee shop, of course he wouldn't want to go out for coffee. Maybe something else, though.

Annabeth decided to try and talk to him after auditions were over for fear of being rude to the managers by talking during other peoples auditions.

Percy looked at her, and she looked back, sure she was still blushing, until the next set of people came up to audition and Percy - albeit, reluctantly - turned his head back towards the stage, Annabeth following suit.

Several more people auditioned, and Annabeth tried very hard to pay attention, but her mind was constantly brought back to the guy two seats over from her.

She was going mad.

finally after what seemed like three or four hours to Annabeth, the fedora man began calling the names of people whop were sitting down to come back up to the stage for final auditions. Annabeth was still barely paying attention, as her thoughts were elsewhere - wondering who Percy would be playing, as he had yet to be called, same as her - was jolted from her own little world when she heard "Jackson and Chase! You'll be running the lines of Aphrodite and Ares from scene six!"

Annabeth felt herself warm up.

Could this be anymore perfect? She may be playing a romantic role with the guy that she currently fancied.

She shook herself out of her mushy state, and tried to withhold her dopey grin as she looked over at Percy, who was looking like he had just won the lottery.

That was a good sign, right?

Annabeth stood and made her way to the stage, not checking to see if Percy was following, and climbed the stairs on the side, proceeding to stand in the center of the stage. She was soon followed by Percy, who was now wearing one of the very same grins that Annabeth was fighting so hard to keep off her own face.

Again, another good sign, right?

Percy quickly cleared his throat, and shook his head, before looking at Annabeth with a crimson blush and beginning to recite his lines, putting such emotion into it that Annabeth hesitated momentarily when he paused, waiting for her to say her lines.

Percy and Annabeth were amazing, putting it simply. The people who were to choose the cast immediately made up their minds that these two were destined for the roles, to say it dramatically.

Annabeth herself was blown away as well. Percy put so much effort into his presentation of the character, that Annabeth felt as if Percy were trying to become the character.

When they finished, another round of applause went up, and almost every other person in the audience was standing up and clapping, all except a very unhappy looking girl who also auditioned for Aphrodite. Annabeth was grinning, and looked at over at Percy to see that he was staring at her, seemingly as impressed with her performance as she was with his.

"Bravo! Bravo! I do believe we have found our leading roles, am I correct?" proclaimed the man in the fedora, looking at the other judges for agreement, and received many nods and wide smiles.

Annabeth took that as her cue to exit the stage, Percy right behind her. They took their seats in the audience, though this time they sat next to each other, as if it were a mutual understanding that they were going to be chatting as soon as they got the chance to.

Annabeth took that as a good sign as well.

The final people in the seats did their auditions and the casting was officially set. The judges said that they would send us the script and practice dates in a few dates time, and Annabeth and Percy were finally released into parking lot, where they were greeted by their bubbly friends who were eager to congratulate them on getting the lead roles.

Annabeth was quickly engulfed in a hug from Hazel, which was followed by a hug from Piper, both as happy for her as the other. Annabeth thanked them and grinned, but really all she wanted to do was talk to Percy and ask him out on a bloody date.

She looked to her side to see Percy being bro-hugged by Frank - who she recognized as Hazel's fancied - , Jason, and a latino curly-haired guy, who was also holding the hand of a very pretty looking girl with long hazelnut hair and a perfect complexion.

Percy, too, looked like he was distracted, and Annabeth felt a bit of hope well up in her that he might say yes if she managed to ask him out. Not that she was terribly fearful that he would say no; he had been flirting with her just the other day. But there was still that sliver of fear that he could have been joking and didn't really have any interest in her at all.

Annabeth tried to shake those thoughts off, as well as Piper and Hazel, who were both telling her that they should all go get frozen yogurt to celebrate.

Honestly, Annabeth thought frozen yogurt sounded pretty good; though with only a green eyed companion present, and preferably just the two of them.

But Annabeth didnt get the cahnce to voice any of this to the two girls, before they had told Jason and Frank about the idea, and invited the others along.

Annabeth resigned herself to her fate, thinking that it really couldn't be that bad, as she would still be seeing Percy; just not alone.

Maybe she would work up the guts to ask him out later, if she managed to a moment of privacy with him from their friends.

Percy looked like she felt; like something had been denied him, but as if he were just going to endure it while still looking slightly hopeful.

Annabeth took it as a good sign.


End file.
